


no solace with the tide

by wintervoice



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-08 02:38:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14095263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintervoice/pseuds/wintervoice
Summary: "I'm afraid you'll be travelling with me, Highness, and I'm the most hated man in Neverland."





	no solace with the tide

The air was still. It was an uncomfortable sort of stillness, the kind that made her fingers itch from lack of something to do. Aurora had grown used to the constant thrum of being at sea, but everything had stopped in the night. The wind, the men, even the waves had gone still. The air smelled old, the same way the magic of her cursed sleep had felt old. 

She searched those around her for answers, but their gazes were locked on the captain at the helm, his dark eyes narrowing as they neared the island. It was still several hours (knots. Hours were called knots on a ship. Or were they leagues? She could never remember) away. He moved toward the railing after a long moment. She could not help but follow his lead and peer over the edge into…

Nothingness.

The ship floated on a lack of space. It was a strange mixture of shadow and darkness that swirled black along the haul. She had never seen anything so dreadful in her life, save for when she closed her eyes and slipped into that horrible dreamless state that kept her prisoner for years. A cold dread settled in her middle when she realized it was exactly what she had walked through during her sleeping curse. 

“It’s called The Absence,” the captain’s sudden closeness would have terrified her had her heart not already accelerated in fear.

She made an effort to swallow the lump in her throat, but her voice was still hoarse. “Where does it come from?”

“Dead magic,” he answered nonchalantly, glancing down to gauge her reaction. “All lost things venture to Neverland at some point or another. Magic cannot be created or destroyed, and so it has nowhere else to go after it’s been used up.”

“Is it dangerous?” She asked because it was expected, because men were waiting for her to cower away in fear.

Killian shrugged. “It’s been known to swallow men whole, but it’s nothing compared to the island itself.”

She fought to carefully compose her features into a mask, and then she narrowed her eyes up at the captain in disdain. “I’m not afraid,” this was an obvious attempt to intimidate her, to force her to give up on her mission to find the Seelie Queen, which was foolish and would damn them all, as he’d insisted multiple times. She turned her attention toward the island, chin lifting in obvious defiance. “My kingdom is still sleeping, Captain, and they need the magic of our fairy queen. I told you —”

“Yes, yes,” he waved a bejeweled hand through the air, the light of the full moon glinting off his various rings. “And I’m aware I’ll be on the wrong end of a hangman’s noose if I don’t return you to your thorny kingdom in one piece.”

For a moment, Aurora rocked back on her heels, thoroughly satisfied with how well things had worked out in her favor. She had never dreamed a blackguard would stumble upon her ninety-three years into a sleep like death. He’d been a fool to tamper with magic he did not understand and he’d been a fool to think a simple kiss would not have consequences.The leftover magic of her curse was now manifesting in his body. Of course, humans without the powerful magic of fairy blessings could not survive such a thing, and so he needed the Seelie Queen’s magic as much as she. A bargain had been struck and now they were stuck together, two pieces of the world that didn’t quite fit: a gentleman pirate and a princess without a happy ending. 

“I will have to split my men to evade pursuit,” he did not look down at her as he spoke, eyes fixed on something in the distance, good hand steady on his sword. “The choice of which group you follow depends upon your own abilities.”

Aurora mulled over that for a moment. She had no real experience with these things, and she could not be expected to pillage or plunder or participate in any other sordid activities. She’d never even held a weapon. “Well,” she said finally, amusement coloring her tone. “I am a very talented dancer. That’s a rather admirable ability.”

“You’ve an incredible sense of humor for someone who may very well die once we reach land.” Killian's mouth pressed together into a thin line, but she thought she saw his lips twitch as if attempting to hide a smile. “I’m afraid you’ll be traveling with me, Highness, and I’m the most hated man in Neverland.”

_____

His form wavered, heat rising from her skin as she grimaced at the thick underbrush before them. The stickiness in the air made her hair curl so wildly she was forced to tie it in a braid and abandon the cloak meant to protect from such harsh environments. None of the men seemed concerned that she kept falling behind, skirts getting caught on brambles and her heeled shoes slipping on the slick, squishy floor of the jungle. Save for the captain, who continually called over his shoulder that she should hurry lest she fall prey to a tiger. “Or worse,” he’d supplied cheerfully, apparently quite unfazed by the miserable conditions of the island. Aurora could not imagine anything worse than being eaten by a tiger, but she was far too exhausted to offer any clever quips in retort. 

The further into the forest they went, the colder it became. Her cheeks were flushed and her breath was escaping in little puffs of icy fog before it was clear that Killian was near his desired location. Worse than the chill, which had covered her in a clammy sheen, was the foliage. The trees possessed bark covered eyes that blinked rapidly when she strayed too near, and the snapping violets hissed and crackled if she stepped too close. The entire island reeked of rot, as if someone had left the carcass of a cat out in the sun for weeks. Aurora’s stomach was rolling when their hunting party finally halted. 

Killian passed along orders to his crew before he trotted to the back of the line. He did not attempt to hide his amusement as he approached and saw she had accidentally rested her hand against one of the blinking tree’s eyes. Her hand was covered in a sickly green goo. It was all she could do not to gag. 

“What sort of hell is this?” She pulled her long braid off her neck, half tempted to stick her tongue out at him when he began to chuckle. He was grimy too, covered in mud up to his ankles with sweat coating his brow, but he still hadn’t removed his rather extravagant brocade coat. Fool. 

He didn’t answer, but instead picked a bud off a nearby bush and passed it to her in one smooth motion. Aurora watched as the bloom faded from a magnificent pink, to pale white, and then withered away in her touch. 

“Only death and ash exist here. The prettiness is a clever illusion,” he swept the fingers of his good hand over the leaves and watched as they began begin to shrivel. “It’s a wonder you could walk onto the beach, Your Grace.”

It felt as if she was caught in a dreadful lie. The darkness of her heart gave a cruel squeeze. It had been there all along, the black vines tightening around the organ with each passing day. “Or perhaps,” she started, “I’m here because the queen wishes me here. Have you thought of that?”

He hmphed, apparently not convinced. “The fairies abandoned this place many years ago,” the statement made her want to scream in frustration, but before she could ask why they had ventured here at all, he continued. “There’s a cave in the center of the island. They left coded instructions for any wayward fae that would need to find their way home. It’s only a couple more miles.”

She must have looked truly miserable at the prospect of continuing to stomp through the jungle because Killian showed a rare moment of mercy. “Rest there,” he instructed, pointing to a small gathering of rocks that she supposed would have been an appropriate resting spot for people unused to down pillows and silk throws. “We can spare an hour to regroup.”

Aurora collapsed to the ground only after he turned his back, nearly releasing a small cry of relief at the moments reprieve. She carefully removed her shoes and noticed her stockings had worn through. The backs of her ankle were bleeding from wear. She’d been so miserable that she hadn’t noticed any pain. 

There was a little lagoon on the other side of the rocks. She knelt down and splashed water on her face and arms, disgusted with how much dirt washed away. The water was cool and clean and fresh; odd considering Killian had warned her the water was poisoned. Try as she might, she could not avoid her horrid reflection on the surface as she washed. Everything about her face had paled. Her skin was beginning to stretch uncomfortably over her cheekbones and her blue eyes were hollow, pale shadows beneath them in bruise-like shades. The sleeping curse had left her a ghost of her former self. 

She could see Killian there, in the water, and focused on him instead. Whatever concerned the captain kept him in hushed whispers with his men, their backs to her as they discussed their best route to this mysterious cave. She was left to her own devices and for a moment she decided that she might admire Killian, if only he was not such a bad man. He could command a room — or a jungle, as it were — with a simple nod of his head. He talked and men listened.

And then she decided he must be right about this jungle. It did cause madness. 

Her concentration broke when a splash disrupted the still water. She looked up, wondering if one of the men had tossed a stone in an attempt to frighten her, but they still stood on high alert a few yards away. How strange. Perhaps there were fish? 

She knelt, bending forward at her waist to assess the lagoon again. That same uncomfortable knot settled in her middle when she realized she could see something just below the surface. It was sickly pale, with dark hair and dark scales and intelligent eyes, and it was staring back up at her through the water. How sweet, she thought, and then the creature’s lips pulled back in a snarl, exposing several rows of long, sharp teeth. 

The water swallowed her scream. She kicked and flailed against the mermaid to no avail. Neverland was a dark, dismal place that seemingly lacked sunlight, but as she was dragged further down into the depths, Aurora knew there was little point in fighting. She couldn’t swim. Even if she managed to break free, she hadn’t the skills to find the surface. 

She could not stop screaming, though she knew the air bubbling from her lips was an unbearable waste. Her lungs ached and then screamed in pain, demanding oxygen, but it was nothing compared to the sudden cutting pain in her forearm. Aurora turned her gaze away from the surface and saw that the mermaid had bitten her near the tender skin of her elbow and was attempting to chew at the flesh she’d ripped away. 

Her limbs began to feel too heavy to move. She could no longer kick at the creature in an attempt to break free. There were black spots in the corners of her eyes, growing with each passing second and something in the back of her mind told her that if she only took a breath, all this pain would end. 

Just as her lips parted, she felt a pair of strong arms circle her waist and tug. Something on her arm ripped, and then the world went black. 

__________

The shadow sea had finally given way to choppy, black-blue water. Aurora stood at the railing once more, shivering from the cold and the latent magic still buzzing in her ears. She appeared smaller and paler than normal, cowering into the lackluster warmth her cloak provided. Her arm throbbed with pain, the limb covered in splotchy green sections as the mermaid poison dissipated. The ship doctor had suggested leeches to draw the poison out and she had complied despite knowing it was an outdated form of medicine. Nothing, however, was quite so effective as the captain’s various tonics. The smell alone had forced dry heaves, and yet the skin was beginning to heal nicely. In a few days, the incident would be remembered only if she noticed the silver scar the mermaid’s bite had left behind. 

“We’ll be at the cove within the week,” Killian eyed her for a moment. He hadn’t left her side in the last three days, insistent her progress must be monitored at all times. Without a word, he shrugged out of his own coat and dropped it onto her shoulders. The fabric was rich and smelled like rum and aged wood and she was too weak to protest against his sudden chivalry. 

“Thank you,” the coat dwarfed her, trailing along the deck, but she pulled the collar up to cover her ears and offered a weak smile.

He stood close enough that she would be forced to lift her head to keep looking at him. The intensity of his gaze should not have come at a surprise. In fact, he was the only man she’d ever known that was not intimidated by her royal status. Aurora always found something unexpected in his eyes — mischief, shyness, deceit, and now a sense of something else, something she had yet to learn about herself.

He held her gaze for what seemed a lifetime and then he nodded, turning his attention back to the black water. The moment passed despite belief she might remain locked under his scrutiny for all eternity. She took a shaky breath.

She’d only seen that look on his face, serious and intense, a handful of times—the guise of uncaring and callousness melting away to reveal a solemn man beneath. Each time it had kicked up a strange protest of emotions inside her, and each time she had carefully batted it down. He wasn’t play acting or toying with her for his own amusement, but it would have been far simpler if he was. 

Aurora was, of course, the first to break the ocean of uncomfortable silence between them. “I...” An unspeakable question rested on the tip of her tongue. It made little sense for him to play the dashing hero, but she doubted she should go about asking her savior why he thought to spare her life. If not for his quick action, she would have spent eternity at the bottom of that horrid lagoon, rotting and forgotten. “Thank you, Ca—Killian,” Her hand left the confines of the coat. She’d meant to reach for him, but she could not bring herself to close the distance so she might lay her hand upon his arm. She brought it back to her side in disappointment. “Truly.” 

As if reading her mind, Killian took a step closer. He pulled her arm forward and inspected it as carefully as one could by the light of the moon. He ran the hook along the outline of the mermaid’s mouth, teeth indentations raised and red along her otherwise unmarred skin. He was close enough now that she could see his eyes move along the length of her arm. She could even see a sliver of a scar on his cheek, partially hidden by a week’s worth of overgrown whiskers. 

Her treacherous heart fluttered wildly as he ran his fingers over the soft skin of her wrist. Killian held her gaze once more and this time it was unyielding. Her surroundings began to fade with the sound of the gentle waves against the ship. With the blackness of the ocean and sky, it was almost as if it were just the two of them floating amongst the stars. 

Common sense told her to pull away, to turn her head, to do anything but stand one more moment in this spot, before him. But she didn’t, drawn to his as the tide to the moon.

If only he moved a half step closer...if only she rose up on her toes and closed the space between them...

“Oh! There you are, miss!” 

The world shuddered and settled back into place with a groan. Or perhaps it was the captain that groaned. Aurora couldn’t tell, but she did hear him mutter a curse as he turned his attention to his first mate shuffling across the deck. There was an unbearable amount of redness in her cheeks. She felt like a child caught doing something naughty and pulled the collars of the coat up higher. 

“Sorry, miss, but the doctor says you need another round of tonic.”

She glanced at the captain, who had yet to stop glaring at the shorter, squatter man, and back to Mr. Smee. “Very well.” Aurora was reluctant to remove the coat, but she couldn’t very well march off in it. She held it out to Killian, who almost appeared unwilling to take it back. “Sleep well, Captain.”

She was led away most appropriately by Mr. Smee, who was already babbling on about their current course and noting that they would pass the isle de la sol before the end of the week and wouldn’t she just love to see the sunrise in such a famed place? Aurora, hardly the type to look back under normal circumstances, glanced over her shoulder, but Killian was gone.

**Author's Note:**

> I was going through my drafts today and realized I had a half finished project from ages ago. Decided to go ahead and finish it. This is the first time I've written anything fic related in a loooooong time. Please be kind.


End file.
